Guarda

Guarda sits on a terrace above the Inn at about sixteen hundred metres, and it is the reference example of the Engadin house: thick walls, deep funnel windows set into splayed reveals, heavy doors, and facades covered in sgraffito - patterns scratched through a pale lime layer to the darker plaster beneath, in rosettes, bands and proverbs. The village was given a federal award for the preservation of its appearance and the fabric is unusually consistent. It is also where Selina Chonz set Schellen-Ursli, the 1945 picture book about a boy fetching the biggest bell for the spring Chalandamarz procession, which is among the best-known children's books in Switzerland and brings families here.

What to look for

• Sgraffito facades - patterns scratched through lime to the plaster beneath.
• Engadin house form - thick walls and deep funnel windows throughout.
• The Schellen-Ursli setting - the village of the 1945 picture book.
• A federally recognised ensemble - the preserved appearance as a whole.

When to go

June to October; Chalandamarz falls on 1 March. Half a day.

Practical notes

The village is tiny - an hour covers it - and it is a lived-in place, not an open-air museum. The village sits well above its station and the postbus up is infrequent. Facilities are one or two guesthouses. Parking above is very limited.

Nearby

Scuol and the Lower Engadin baths are east; the Swiss National Park is south.

Key facts